Shoulder-brace.



L. C. ACGOLA. SHOULDER BRAGB. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 2, 190s. v

918,940. Patenrtea'Apr. 20,1909.

" Afro/mns Toall 'whom it 'mayconcern:

' UNITED ,PATENT OFFIOE.

Y j LORENZ o. AoooLA, or Bauen, COLORADO.

SHOULDER-Banen.

Y No. 918,940.

Be it known thatI, vLORENZ C.VVAcooLA, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brush, in the county of Morgan and- State of Colorado, have invented anew and Improved Shoulder-Brace, of which the following is a full, clear, an'deXact description.

My invention'relatesl to shoulder braces, and has for its object to `provide jaf shoulder brace with few parts, which can be adjusted readily and which will not cause the wearer any inconvenience. y ,i Y

Curved metal springs are provided, which are adapted to hold'the shoulders vback in place without confining or restricting the movements of the body vas is done-withthe ordinary shoulder Vbraces which are `in the nature of bandages.

The invention f is simple in construction and can be manufactured at littleco'st.v

Another object of the invention is to so adjust the members of lthe Ydevice that they are adapted to lift the shoulders as well as to hold them back. Q

Still another object is to providemeans which may be fastened to an ordinaryrwaist# band and which may be adjusted to hold the shoulders back under varying tension.

Other objects of theinvention will appear in the following more complete description.

In this lspecification I will describe my preferred form of the invention, 4but YI do not limit myself thereto as I consider myself entitled to all forms and embodiments of the invention which mayv be held to .fall within the scope of the. appended claims.

Reference is tol be had to the accompanymg drawings, forming a part ofthis specilication, in which similar' characters of ref-V erence indicate corresponding` parts in all the figures, in which- Y l Figure l is a rear elevation of the invention; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that I use a metallic spring l, which spring is U-shaped at its middle portion, which is adapted to be disposed on theback of the wearer, this middle U-shaped portion 2 being secured to a cross member 3 and a plate 4, the Vplate 4 vbeing secured to the sides of the metal U shaped portion 2 of the spring 1, but leaving an opening at the Y -specin'cation of Letters Patent.

Appiigaon meer may z, 190s. `serai No. 430,474.

`U-shaped portion 2 of the spring l.

Patented April 20, 1909.

bottom between the said U-shaped portion 2 and the said plate 4.

A slide 5 is pivoted to the cross member 3, this slide' extending into the opening between the plate 4 and the bottom of the In this slide 5 is introduced a leaf spring 6, which is `soconstructed that it will have a curve asshown inF ig. 2, when it is at rest.

The two elastic members 7 are secured to the cross member 3, one `at either side of the slide 5, and these elastic members, which may be covered with silk, cotton or other material, extend down xthrough the Opening between the plate 4: ,and the bottom of the -U-shaped portion 2 of the spring l, until they reach the lower terminal of the leaf spring 6, where they are passed through orifices in the said leaf spring 6 and are knottedas shown in Fig. 2. The leaf spring 6 is adapted to be secured to a waistband 8 as shown in the drawings. Each side of the spring l, above the cross member 3, is curved forwardly, outwardly, downwardly and then backwardly, in order to make the spring l fit the curvatures of the shoulders and arms, there being a pad 9, secured to each side of the spring l, these pads being so disposed that they will act on the body v and j prevent chang.

In using my invention, the free portions of thel spring l are adjusted over the the waistband 8 is then strapped around thebody of the wearer. After the shoulder brace has been put on the body of the wearer, it is adjusted by means of the elastic members 7, which are drawn through the orifices in the leaf spring G, until the proper tension is obtained, and the terminals of the elastic members 7 are knotted to hold them in place relatively to the leaf spring 6. By drawing the elastic members through the orifices in the leaf spring 6, the leaf spring 6 is curved, and by means of the said elastic members and the said leaf spring, a varying backward pressure on the spring l is obtained, which accomplishes the desired result in holding the shoulders of the wearer back in position. Inasmuch as when the spring l is drawn back by means of the leaf spring 6 and the elastic members T, the terminals of the spring l, which are under the arms of the wearer, are lifted, as the principal portions of the spring l are drawn rearwardly.

My brace is adapted to raise the shoulders, as well as draw them back in position and pre.. rent the shoulders from becoming rounded.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A shoulder brace with a metal. spring, the middle portion of which is U-shaped, the arms being curved forwardly, outwardly, downwardly and rearwardly, to suitably engage the body, a slide secured to the said metallic spring, and a lea-f spring which is adapted to engage the slide, the leaf spring being adapted to be secured to a waistband.

A shoulder brace with a metal spring which has its central portion secured to a cross member and which has its arms curved dbrwardly, outwardly and downwardly, a

a body member, the said first named member being secured to the body member, the body member being adapted to be held back under varying degrees of pressure, and means to so l hold the body member.

l. In a shoulder brace, a member which is adapted to press rearwardly and upwardly,

u a body member, the said first named member being secured to the body member, a slning which has a sliding engagement with the body member, and springs to hold the spring` in varying positions relatively lo the body member.

shoulder brace with a metal spring, a slide secured to the said metal spring and a leaf spring which is adapted to engage the slide, the leaf spring being` adapted to be secured to a waistband.

(3. .t shoulder brace with a metal spring, a slide, the. metal spring being secured to the slide, a leaf spring which is adapted to cngage the slide, the leaf spring being also adapted to engage the waistband, and means by which the leaf spring may be curved.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LORENZ C. UCOL. Yitnesses Gnovnn lV. SNxnnn, ALFRED H. Scrlnvxnmc(auch. 

